At Ease in My Own Skin
by Sheyrena Wyrsabane
Summary: Bruce is a nudist, it helps him manage the Hulk, and it isn't an issue until he moves into Stark Tower. One-shot of him coming out to the team.


Written for a prompt on avengerkink. They wanted one of the Avengers to be a nudist, and so, have a nudist!Bruce.

* * *

Bruce has spent years traveling to places throughout the world, trying to atone for the damage he's done as the Hulk and trying to figure out how to bring his two selves into harmony. He's tried various methods from talking to himself to trying positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement. Once he even spent a straight 24-hours sitting cross legged in a monastery up in the mountains of China.

The most effective method he's discovered is, of course, the one that is the most difficult to do while he's living in the Avengers Tower. He had been unloading his woes on some poor guy at a rest-stop in the middle of Montana when the guy had turned to him and said, "your problem, son, is that you're approaching this from a control standpoint. Why don't you try acceptance, see how that works out for you?"

They had a long, in-depth conversation about what true acceptance means, and how you can achieve acceptance, and now, whenever Bruce is alone, he likes to be naked. It had felt weird at first, moving about his room without clothes on, but Bruce has gotten used to it. This is his body, most of the time, and if he can't love it then how can he ever love the Hulk?

He's gotten to the point where it's not uncomfortable to wear clothes as much as it is unnerving. The Hulk hates clothing because it's restricting and an attempt to hide, and that's why Bruce's clothes always tear to pieces when he Hulks out. Whenever Bruce pulls on a pair of jeans or throws a shirt on so he can go out in public or even join the others for breakfast, the Hulk growls and becomes a more hostile presence in Bruce's mind.

It doesn't really become a problem until Bruce finds that his labs have been moved to share a space with Tony. Bruce doesn't want to even think about Tony's reaction if he just shucked off his clothing, so Bruce keeps it on, even though it makes the other guy unhappy.

Bruce taps his screen, trying to remember where his train of thought had been heading. He was thinking about variables and control, but then the Hulk had tapped at his consciousness, a reminder that he's unhappy, and Bruce finds it difficult to concentrate on thinking when he's trying to keep the Hulk contained.

"How's it going?" Tony asks, wiping metal dust off his hands.

Bruce shrugs and tries not to linger on what Tony's wearing. He's layered his shirts, a t-shirt over a long sleeve, and even the thought of that much fabric covering Bruce makes his arms start to itch. He knows it's mostly the Hulk's influence, but Bruce has gotten used to being free, and he doesn't like the constriction that's come along with joining the Avengers.

"Oh, you know," Bruce says, his fingers starting to get twitchy. He should transfer the data to his room. He doesn't need to be in the lab to read, and once he can lock his door behind him he'll be able to get rid of all his distractions and finally work.

"I'm going to sleep on it," Bruce says, shooting the analyses over to the shared drive. He smiles at Tony and half-runs out of the lab.

Tony checks his watch. It's three in the afternoon. He shrugs and puts his welding visor down. He has some upgrades to work on.

* * *

After a week of stilted progress, Bruce finally moves into his own lab. He'd been hesitant, because he hates asking for anything, especially when he's a guest here, but he's getting absolutely no work done so when Fury called him on it and asked what they could do to make his work environment better for him, Bruce asked for his own lab.

He hasn't seen much of anyone since moving all of his stuff, too busy setting up his new space, and enjoying the fact that he can work for hours without the Hulk interrupting. He keeps the room warm and the windows closed so he doesn't get cold while he moves about the room, and everything is going well until one afternoon when someone rattles the lock on his door.

Bruce sprints across the room, stuffing his legs into his jeans. "Hello?" he calls, hoping he doesn't sound as flustered as he feels.

"You locked your door?" Tony sounds more put out than mocking. "What are you doing in there?"

"Just a minute!" Bruce hastily zips his pants and he buttons his shirt as he rushes over to the door.

He opens it and Tony frowns as he sweeps Bruce's, obviously disheveled, self.

"Your buttons are wrong," Tony says, and Bruce flushes a deep red as he tries to rebutton his shirt, correctly this time. Tony wanders over to Bruce's computer, idly looking through his recent documents and internet searches. "Are you looking at porn? Is that why you're such a mess?"

"No, no porn," Bruce says.

"You didn't have to leave my lab if that was the reason." Tony continues as if Bruce hadn't said anything. "I have no problem watching porn with other guys."

Bruce doesn't linger on that image for too long. "It really had nothing to do with porn."

Tony looks at the flush on Bruce's cheeks and the buttons that still aren't quite right, and shrugs. "Whatever."

Bruce is so busy trying to get his breathing under control and reassuring himself that his secret hasn't been blown, that he almost misses the fact that Tony sounds upset. Bruce frowns, watching as Tony browses Bruce's work. Tony doesn't look over at Bruce or make any jokes, and Bruce realizes that his feelings are hurt.

"It had nothing to do with you," Bruce says.

Tony laughs. "Look, I'm not angry, I just want to know what I did. Fury comes up to me and says you need to make Dr. Banner his own lab, because he can't work with you so I did, but I'm just curious. Was it the music? My singing? I have a pretty good voice you know."

Bruce forgets sometimes how insecure Tony is, that underneath Iron Man's mask and Tony Stark's bravado, there's a boy who spent his childhood being told he wasn't good enough, that he'd never measure up, that no matter how hard he tried he was always going to be a disappointment. And Bruce has brought all of those painful memories back up.

"It's not you, it's me."

Tony laughs again. "I've heard that one before."

"No, really." Bruce reaches out to grab Tony's arm before he can think through the action. "I work in a very particular way so I need my own space."

Tony nods, but he clearly doesn't believe, and Bruce wants to wipe the hurt away so bad, but he doesn't want to tell Tony the truth. He knows it'll bring a smile to Tony's face, that he'll probably laugh about it, but it will be too much like him laughing at Bruce, and Bruce can't face that humiliation. Not now. Not after he's finally starting to think he's found a place he can call home.

"I just came to check on you," Tony says, reclaiming his arm. "Clearly you're doing fine. Let me know if you need anything."

His head isn't held as high as it usually is, and there's a slump to his shoulders that makes Bruce's gut wrench with guilt.

"Please, don't be angry with me. I swear, it's nothing you've done."

"I'm not angry," Tony says with a laugh that neither of them believe. "Why would I be angry?"

Bruce passes Tony and shuts the door, turning the lock into place again. Tony raises his eyebrows, and Bruce fumbles with the buttons on his shirt until he's stripped away the fabric, and Tony is watching him, confused.

"You're getting naked?" Tony asks.

"Yes." Bruce pops the button on his jeans and drags down his zipper before he can think, because if he starts thinking then he's going to chicken out, and he has to do this. He can't spend his life hiding. That was the whole point of the no-clothing exercise. This is who he is and if his teammates can't accept that then he'll move on. There will always be place that need doctors.

Tony's eyes widen as Bruce steps out of his jeans. "Uh, not that I mind or anything, but-"

"Stop talking," Bruce says, and his hands are on his hips, and he's not trying to cover himself up, and he's taking charge and giving orders, and Tony can't help but be a little turned on right now.

"This is how I do my best work," Bruce says, motioning to his body. "I can't concentrate when I'm wearing clothes. The Hulk doesn't like it."

"The Hulk doesn't like you wearing clothes," Tony repeats, trying to wrap his mind around what is happening.

"I don't like wearing clothes either," Bruce says, because this moment is about telling the truth, about coming out of hiding. "This is who I am, and I fully embrace it. No covering up, no restricting what I am. This is me."

"Oh wow," Tony says, his knees going a little weak, because this is an entirely new side of Bruce. He's confident and knows himself and isn't ashamed and Tony had never expected that to come from him. "I see why you moved out. You were concerned about my ability to concentrate."

Bruce grins, but the amusement quickly gives way to worry. "You're okay with this?"

"Okay with it?" Tony can't believe Bruce even had to ask that. "Of course I am. It's unexpected, yeah, but I'm definitely okay with it. Wow. Uh, have you told anyone else?"

Bruce shakes his head and leans against the door, completely comfortable with the fact that he's standing, completely naked, in the presence of another person. Tony swallows, a little awed that he's the first person Bruce has trusted with this.

"Do you want to?"

Bruce shrugs. "It would be nice, but," he hesitates. He hadn't planned on coming out to Tony, and while he enjoys knowing that in the labs at least he can be himself, he's worried how the others will react.

"Hey," Tony says, laying a hand on Bruce's arm. "They're not going reject you. Tell you what, we'll probe the waters, and once I can convince you there aren't any alligators, we'll jump in, okay?"

Bruce frowns at the metaphor. "You should stick to science."

* * *

They're crowded around the dinner table that night when Tony starts probing the waters. He waits until Steve's finished chewing to start the conversation.

"I have a hypothetical situation," Tony says, and Bruce tries not to shrink in his seat.

Steve's eyes light up. "Like a battle simulation?"

Tony thinks this is going to be a lot harder than he'd originally intended. "Not quite. Say I had a behavior that isn't wrong but isn't considered conventional, but it makes me feel comfortable. How would you feel about it?"

"I thought we knew all your oddities by now," Clint said, dumping his broccoli on Natasha plate.

"Hypothetical, remember?"

"Does is result in harm to yourself or others?" Steve asks. Tony shakes his head. "Then of course we accept it—you. Is there something you need to tell us, Tony?"

Steve is looking so earnest and concerned that Tony doesn't snarkily remind him that this is a hypothetical situation. Instead, he nudges Bruce. "See, no alligators."

Bruce sighs, but he remembers the relief he felt when he was able to tell Tony the truth, and he wants to feel that relief everywhere in the Tower. Teammates aren't supposed to hide things from each other, and it's not like the others don't have quirks of their own. Everyone accepts Steve's obsessive need for the house to be clean and the way Thor doesn't comprehend the concept of an indoor voice and no one complains about Clint's nesting or Natasha's stashes of weapons, and this really isn't any different. Except, what if it is?

Steve's eyes are trained on him, wide with worry, and Bruce offers up a shy smile. "I, uh, I like to be naked."

Steve's eyebrows pull together in a small frown. "I don't understand."

Bruce blushes and drops his gaze to his plate. "I don't like to wear clothes. They're stuffy and restricting, and I like the freedom of wearing absolutely nothing and the knowing that I have the self-confidence to embrace my body and not be ashamed of it."

He spares a look around the table after his little speech, and everyone's quiet. He takes that as a good sign because at least they aren't looking at him in disgust or laughing or leaving, but the silence makes him nervous.

"Okay," Natasha says, and just like that, everyone's smiling and Bruce can breathe again, because they're not going to ask him to leave the Tower.

"May we join you?" Thor asks, but he's already pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the ground.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Bruce's eyes dart about the room as they all start stripping, and he's a little overwhelmed because he doesn't quite understand what they're doing, but they're doing it for him, to make him feel more comfortable, welcome, like he's part of the team, and this is more than he ever thought would happen.

Tears start to prickle at the corners of his eyes, and Tony reaches out to touch his shoulder.

"Hey," Tony says. "Everyone here, even Steve, is naked right now, and you, our resident nudist is not. Does that seem a little weird to you?"

Bruce laughs and Tony helps him with the buttons on his shirt and soon they're eating their broccoli and fettuccine alfredo in the nude, and for the first time, Bruce feels completely at home in Stark Tower.

Bruce pauses, his fork halfway to his mouth and starts laughing. He laughs until his whole body is shaking and his pasta tumbles off his fork, and everyone's staring at him, and Steve is contemplating whether he'll risk standing up and flashing everyone to go and see if everything's okay.

"Stark Tower," Bruce says between laughs. "And we're all naked."

Tony laughs and claps Bruce on the back, and soon the small room is filled with the Avengers' laughter.


End file.
